The Centre Back Factory: Behind the Rise of Ecuadorian Defenders
9 Jun 2025
10 min Read
By Tom Robinson
In this deep dive, we explore how global visibility has put Ecuadorian centre-backs on the map.
Whisper it quietly, but Ecuador may well be the new go-to destination in South America for affordable, high-potential central defenders.
Brazil and Argentina remain the biggest exporters of talent in the region but in recent years Ecuador has produced a number of standout defensive talents, catching up to challenge the likes of Uruguay, Paraguay, and even neighbours Colombia for the attention of scouts and recruiters.
But what’s behind this rise to prominence? Why are clubs looking to Ecuador for this particular player profile? And who might be next to emerge?
In this article, we investigate the factors behind this trend, explore the crucial role video plays when scouting defenders, and identify up-and-coming talent that looks poised to follow suit.
Ecuador’s New Defensive Dawn
Historically, Ecuador was not the first port of call for scouts looking at South American centre backs. Or the second. Or even the third, for that matter.
Aside from the majestic Iván Hurtado - Ecuador’s most capped men’s player - you would have been hard pushed to find many defenders deemed ‘world class’. Even a player as good as Hurtado struggled to get chances in Europe, save for a brief stint at Real Murcia in La Liga.
Now, Ecuador have arguably three of the most sought-after young centre backs in world football.
Willian Pacho has been colossal for PSG in their Champions League victory; Piero Hincapié was a key part of Bayer Leverkusen’s unbeaten Bundesliga-winning side; and Joel Ordóñez is on many team’s summer short lists after his performances for an upwardly mobile Club Brugge side.
This domestic form has translated to the national team, where Ecuador boast the best defensive record in CONMEBOL qualifying (five goals conceded in 16 games) and look set to reach their fifth World Cup from the last seven attempts.
Table correct as of 11th June
So what has caused this seemingly sudden boom in defensive talent?
Firstly, youth development in Ecuador has gone through something of a revolution over the last decade or so.
Spearheaded by clubs like Independiente del Valle – who have some of the best training facilities on the continent and have integrated technology into their player identification, evaluation and development – the quality of talent across the board has risen.
This has been reflected with strong performances at youth competitions like the Libertadores U20 and Copa Mitad del Mundo - both part of Hudl Wyscout’s Youth Pack - as well as national teams at U20, U17 and U15 level consistently punching above their weight.
“The emergence of more qualified coaches, a more holistic approach to training young athletes, and a more structured knowledge about the aspects and analytical tools that make up football have all played a massive role in youth development,” explained LDU Quito Performance Analyst, Nicolás Jarrín Rohn.
As a result, more players are seen as viable transfer candidates and there has been a notable uptick in Ecuadorians getting moves to clubs in Europe and further afield.
Secondly, cost effectiveness has seen Ecuador become a more attractive option for clubs either looking to unearth a bargain or for those unable to afford the premium price tags of Brazilians and Argentinians.
Looking at the most expensive outgoing transfers from Independiente del Valle, the majority of players have departed for around or under €5 million, as per Transfermrkt, with just Kendry Páez commanding a fee above €10 million.
Pacho, Ordóñez, and Hincapié make the top ten, while full backs Yaimar Medina, Jhoanner Chávez, José Andrés Hurtado, and Angelo Preciado all feature in the top 15. In short, an abundance of defenders, particularly centre backs, at very affordable prices.
Other notable trends from the list are the fact the lion’s share were signed while still teenagers, the popularity of both Belgium and England as destinations, and that most of these record departures have occurred in the last five years.
Thirdly, and perhaps crucially, is globalvisibility. By having footage available to clubs across the globe on Hudl Wyscout, scouts and recruiters are able to see the talent on show in Ecuador, when in the past they have flown under the radar.
By looking at Hudl Wyscout viewing data over the past five years, we can see the level and range of foreign clubs monitoring Ecuador’s top flight – with a number of big clubs from elite Europe’s Top 5 leagues among the highest viewers of the division.
While the temptation to focus on the top European leagues is understandable, the spread of teams looking at Ecuador’s Pro Liga is also worth noting. Clubs from Argentina, Brazil, and other South American nations appear regularly among the top viewers (as much for scouting relating to pan-regional club competitions as recruitment), while there are also numerous viewers from nations like Belgium, Mexico, and the USA.
But there are also plenty of hits from locations as far afield as Qatar, South Korea, and Georgia, showing the variety and diversity of potential suitors that Ecuadorian clubs and players are opening themselves up to thanks to this global visibility.
Building Value: Mapping Export Routes
The value in many of these rising talents for Ecuadorian teams might not be in the initial move, but by retaining a percentage of future sell-on fees. Moises Caicedo’s example - where the original €5mil fee ended up earning IDV another €23.2mil after his move to Chelsea - is a perfect illustration.
By looking specifically at our featured centre backs, we can see how strategic career decisions have aligned with their development and have multiplied the player’s value exponentially. The graph below demonstrates different routes taken, the return on the low initial fees for clubs effectively scouting, and the potential of high-ceiling defenders from Ecuador.
Pacho’s progression follows an almost textbook path; a first move to Belgium, before being picked up by Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, and ultimately a big money move to one of Europe’s giants. Ordóñez is earlier in his career but has taken a similar first step and his current valuation is already a significant increase from Club Brugge’s original outlay.
Hincapié represents another pathway, with a move within South America first, before securing a big move to Europe. Argentinian side Talleres are renowned for their data-driven approach to scouting and recruitment, offering players not necessarily the highest wages but the platform to get that next ‘big move’ - with Hincapié a case in point.
While this visibility opens up more options for selling clubs and more pathways for players, it also represents an opportunity for the buyers. Seeing these transfer patterns, forward-thinking teams can get in early, recruit and develop talent, before selling at a profit, while traditionally ‘bigger’ teams may look to cut out the middle man and recruit from source earlier.
Fundamentally, these factors blend together to summarise why Ecuador - and particularly their defenders - are rising to the fore: the talent is there, it remains undervalued, and, crucially, it’s being seen.
Seeing is Believing: How Video Reveals Defensive Quality
The idea of visibility leads onto a pertinent point when it comes to the specific task of scouting and analyzing central defenders.
While other positions have plenty of metrics that quickly paint a picture, defending remains harder to judge by numbers alone. Team style heavily influences what a defender does - high aerial duel numbers might simply reflect a system that invites crosses, while pass volume might depend more on tactical setup than individual quality. Meanwhile, crucial traits like positioning, awareness, and leadership have no obvious data analogues.
Hudl Statsbomb’s advanced data can be leveraged to find proxies and benchmarks, but ultimately having access to quality footage is fundamental when evaluating and recruiting defenders.
Through analysis of video, scouts can spot how a player scans to anticipate danger, evaluate their decision-making and relationship with their centre back partner, and judge how they marshall an offside line - all key considerations which might not show up in the numbers alone.
Late in the game with the game delicately poised, Dender get in behind the Club Brugge defence for a dangerous attack. The centre forward has a few yards headstart on Ordóñez.
The winger gets to the byline and looks to square the ball for what looks an inevitable goal. Ordóñez still has to make up on the striker.
When it looks like a simple tap-in into an empty net, Ordóñez displays great athleticism, agility, and bravery to make up the ground and throw himself into the challenge and somehow divert the ball away from goal, ensuring Brugge seal the win.
What’s more, valuable added context can be given to physical attributes - an area where defenders like Pacho, Ordóñez, and Hincapié thrive. Important traits in modern football like pace and strength against rapid centre forwards in transitional or one-on-one moments, or explosive bursts over short distances to intercept balls and engage opponents, can be more accurately assessed.
Hudl Wyscout's extensive video library - featuring over 600 competitions worldwide - allows scouts, analysts, and recruiters to make these evidence-based decisions by ensuring defenders pass the eye test, both technically and physically. Leagues without this vital video proof available, therefore, risk missing out on interest from clubs considering their players.
When your league is visible on Hudl Wyscout, your players are discoverable to the world — when it's not, you miss out on opportunities that could shape careers and transform clubs.
Future Stars in the Making
We’ve seen how video plays a crucial role in both league’s visibility and in scrutinizing central defensive talent more generally, so how can we apply that to finding young domestically-based Ecuadorians who fit this centre back profile typified by Pacho, Ordóñez, and Hincapié?
Interrogating Hudl Wyscout footage of Ecuador’s Liga Pro and the platform's extensive youth coverage sees a couple of names jump out.
Diogo Bagüí (Emelec, 20)
A shining light for El Bombillo, Bagüí has quickly become an essential feature of Emelec’s defence since breaking through in the second half of 2024.
The Guayaquil-based club have endured a poor start to the year but Bagüí has been one of the few bright sparks, demonstrating admirable personality and leadership despite his young age.
A look at the tape shows Bagüí’s positioning, awareness, and reading of the game, as well as his speed across the ground. Here we see an example of Bagüí defending space in a higher line:
Barcelona are breaking at pace and the defence is back peddling. Bagüí keeps scanning and spots the winger looking to play a pass inside.
Bagüí’s anticipation and ability to change direction quickly allows him to nip in front of the striker to intercept the ball, carry it forward, and find a teammate with a pass, snuffing out a potentially dangerous attack.
Here we can see another example of Bagüí’s qualities in a lower block:
The IDV winger cuts inside to beat two men. Meanwhile Bagüí is well positioned man-marking the striker, keeping a great body position to keep tabs on both his man and the player with the ball. The IDV striker makes a darting near-post run in behind the other centre back but Bagüí is alert.
Bagüí demonstrates his acceleration, upper body strength, and anticipation to go toe-to-toe with the striker and make a crucial clearance before he can get a shot away at a crucial stage late in the game. Bagüí keeps the score at 1-1 and Emelec go on to get an injury time winner.
One of the young players to have played most minutes in this year’s Liga Pro, it won’t be too long before his performances are noticed further afield.
Deinner Ordóñez (Independiente del Valle, 15)
Yet to make his senior team debut, Ordóñez has made a significant impact at youth level for Ecuador. Still only 15, he impressed at this year’s U17 and U20 editions of the Sudamericano - both of which are available on Hudl Wyscout’s Youth Pack.
A tall, elegant, but physically dominant centre back, all the raw materials are there for Ordóñez to go on to be a top quality centre back.
At 1.88m, Ordóñez is impressive at defending aerial balls and has long telescopic legs that make him effective in one-v-one duels and when making vital interceptions. Indeed, at the U20 Sudamericano he averaged the highest blocks per 90, despite being five years the junior of his opponents.
Ordóñez ranked among the highest for Aerial Duel % Success at the U17 Sudamericano
Despite his significant physical presence, Ordóñez is still very light on his feet and has great pace and acceleration.
However, it is probably on the ball which makes him stand out above his peers. As you would expect from an IDV graduate, he is cool, calm, and collected when playing out from the back, whichever side of defence he plays on.
What’s more, he is capable of breaking the lines from deep - as shown by his through ball stats from the U17 Sudamericano - and is fairly press resistant, although his decision-making still has room for improvement.
Ordóñez has all the traits top European clubs look for in a modern day centre back but the next few years will be crucial. He must learn not to rely on his physical advantages and continue to develop his all-round game. Luckily he’s in a great place to do it.
Conclusion
The examples of Willian Pacho, Piero Hincapié, and Joel Ordóñez are testament to the excellent youth development work and natural undervalued defensive talent in Ecuador. And with the likes of Diogo Bagüí and Deinner Ordóñez coming through, the pipeline looks set to continue.
Due to the visibility afforded by accessible footage, scouts and recruiters are waking up to this fact, empowering them to use video to accurately assess the increasing pool of Ecuadorian centre backs with high-ceiling physical, technical, and tactical traits.
Find out more about how to use Hudl Wyscout for your scouting, recruitment, and talent evaluation workflows here.
